


Another College Story

by SeegerBean



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi, Trans Lars (Steven Universe), Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22669147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeegerBean/pseuds/SeegerBean
Summary: Steven goes to university, and is quick to make new friends; other friends, however, will have to be made more slowly.
Relationships: Amethyst & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Garnet & Steven Universe, Lars Barriga & Steven Universe, Lars Barriga/Sadie Miller/Shep, Pearl & Steven Universe
Comments: 25
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is one I've been idly working on for a while, and it's basically my "for fun" piece; don't expect a great big plot or a great update schedule. Enjoy!

It wasn't the first time that Steven was grateful for the monstrous van that his father owned. Nor was it the first time that he questioned how his father had managed to keep the beast alive for so long.

All of Steven’s belongings were stuffed haphazardly in the back, and the ancient vehicle chugged along to Empire City, his new home for the next four years. Six, if he decided for a master's.

Greg was humming and tapping the wheel as he navigated deep into the city. An older man with a shockingly long mane of hair surrounding a conspicuous bald spot, it wasn't difficult to see how much his son looked like him. Steven looked at his reflection in the window, examining himself. His black, curly hair was as thick as ever, if not a little on the long side these days. An eternal baby face, he bemoaned the fact that his father would always have more of a beard than he did, which wasn't difficult considering he had none. His dark brown eyes belonged to his father, but his smile and hair were apparently his mother’s.

Steven stopped looking at the window, the thought of his mother sending a familiar ache through his chest. Greg looked over and, seeing his son's face, quickly stopped humming.

"Rose on the mind, huh?"

Steven flashed a quick smile at his father to let him know he was okay. "Yeah, just thinking about what you told me about her smile."

Greg put his attention back on the road, smiling softly himself. "It held the stars." Steven reached out, patting his dad's shoulder. The older man sighed happily before returning to whatever song he was humming, now whistling the guitar solo.

After almost an hour of getting lost in the heart of the city, Greg cursing the map's mother a few times and his phone's offspring much more than that, they found their destination: Callison University.

Steven had taken campus tours and had gone over the maps, but it never failed to impress him how impossibly huge the campus was. Glistening medical labs coexisted peacefully with old ivy-covered Liberal Arts colleges and sprawling dorms, with rolling pastures of meticulously maintained grass tying the bow on the calm, pastoral image.

Greg gawked as they slowly drove to the farthest set of dorms. "Geez, are you going to be able to get to class on time from all the way back here?"

Steven shrugged, grinning. "I'll just have to get up early, no big deal."

"I don't know," his dad muttered, "I've seen you in the morning."

They pulled up to the dorm, an aged building hewn from burgundy stone. Water stains ran down the corners, and the lawn, while still maintained, was a bit shaggier than the rest of the campus.

"Once again, I'm sorry we couldn't have put you in one of the newer buildings. Just . . . Money." Greg had a suitcase in each hand, but the blush on his face was not from exertion.

"Are you kidding? This place looks awesome!" Steven stared at the old building’s mossy bricks, starry-eyed. Already he was wondering how many ghosts haunted its halls. He grabbed a few crates and followed his dad in.

After getting checked in with a painfully quiet girl whose blue hair covered the top half her face, the two men struggled to take the first round of Steven's gear to his room on the fourth floor. The halls were dim, pale fluorescent lights splashing coldly against aging plaster. The doors had names stuck to them, each one written on a different cut-out of an animal. Finally, they arrived at their destination, 479. Steven found his name on a pink lion; whatever name had been below his had been ripped off, leaving only tape and a small scrap of purple paper.

Steven unlocked the door and Greg couldn’t help but marvel at how little dorming had changed since he had dropped out of college some thirty years prior. The dorm was cramped, each side of the room containing only enough space as necessary. By the entrance was a small area between shelves set aside as a rudimentary closet, and a run-down MicroFridge sat tucked in the far corner. One side of the room was blank, a used mattress on a rickety frame sitting next to a table and drawers.

In unison, the two turned to look at the other side of the room, claimed violently. Posters from probably every terrible horror film to exist filled the wall, and the bed was equally cheery, decked out in dark red and black sheets. On their desk was a CD player, connected to speakers.

“Well, your roommate seems . . . fun.” Greg put down the suitcases, looking at Steven’s empty side of the room. “Maybe we should have packed more posters.”

Steven ogled for a moment before heading back down with his dad to continue loading up. A couple of trips later, they sat on Steven’s mattress, the older man panting.

“I think that’s everything,” Greg gulped. He took a deep breath. “Are you sure you don’t need help setting up or unpacking?”

“No thanks, Dad, I know you’ve got to get back to the car wash.”

“Vehicular filth waits for no man.” Greg winked at Steven before standing up, stretching his arms out. Steven quickly stood up, wrapping his father in a crushing hug. After a few moments, Greg pulled away, wiping his eyes. 

“Alright, Stu-ball. Call me if you need anything, or if you just want to talk. I’m practically next door. Love you!”

“Love you too, Dad.” They hugged again, briefly, and Greg disappeared down the hall. Steven sighed happily and sat back down, looking at everything in front of him. He could still hardly believe he was in college. It was already such a different atmosphere than being homeschooled for the last thirteen years. There were actually other people! Not that he had never seen other people; his friend Peedee had always been around growing up. However, there were easily more people on campus right now than there were people in Beach City.

Steven dug into his backpack, a cheeseburger-shaped novelty, and pulled out his schedule before carefully taping it to the wall.

“There we go! Responsible!”

The rest of the afternoon passed in much the same manner. Steven was surprisingly careful with his belongings, taking the time to make sure all of his clothes were neatly folded and his posters were properly aligned. Steven grinned at his neatness; he knew that he’d be wadding his shirts into a crumpled mess within the month, if not sooner. But a good beginning would help him stay at least a little organized.

Steven was taping up his last poster, a large one promoting the latest  _ Dogcopter  _ installment, when the door popped open to reveal a skinny Filipino student wearing what Steven recognized as studio headphones, albeit rather large ones. His shirt was brown with a red scorpion taking up most of his chest. Skull-shaped plugs stretched out his earlobes, and his hair was a curly mess of a mohawk. None of this stood out as much as the deep scowl etched into his face. When he saw Steven, he took off the headphones, his scowl deepening.

“So,” he grumbled in a nasally, crackly voice, “you’re my roommate.”

Steven waved excitedly. “Hi! I’m Steven! You’re my roommate!”

The kid rolled his eyes. “Lars.”

“Hi, Lars!” Steven kept waving.

Lars looked at his roommate up and down before sighing and laying down on his bed. “Do you always yell when you’re talking to people?”

“Yeah, my dad’s always said that I have poor volume control. Just let me know if it bothers you.”

“It does.” Lars put his headphones back on and turned the volume up dangerously high, playing something with loud drums and screeching guitars, before closing his eyes. 

Steven’s smile faltered, but he quickly shrugged Lars’ behavior off. He was probably just tired from packing all morning. And maybe he was homesick. Or actually sick. Steven busied himself with setting up his computer and printer. After some time he gave a satisfied grunt, turning on his computer and taking a small step back. For all intents and purposes, his side of the room was officially moved into.

He sat on his bed with a huff, looking around the cramped room. The lights were a little flickery, and the walls had small lines here and there. In between his and Lars’ space was a door that led to a patio, connected to the next-door room. Steven bounced off his bed and wrenched the door open with some effort, rewarded immediately with a cool evening breeze. He leaned against the railing and surveyed his new home.

From where he was, he could see the English building a fair distance away, and behind it some body of water. Little was visible before it was quickly overtaken by a thick patch of trees. Down below him was a volleyball sandpit, a few students cheerfully at play. As the grass stretched away from him, it became more and more manicured, until it led neatly up to the nearest dorms.

Steven was so caught up watching the game that he didn’t hear the door next to him open, two young men spilling out. A hand on his shoulder quickly got his attention.

The student who had gotten Steven’s attention wore an oversized red jacket over a ratty t-shirt, both drooping over equally worn pants and sneakers. His hair, however, was meticulously gelled into place, and his sunglasses looked fairly expensive.

Behind him, with a slightly pensive look, was presumably his roommate, thin and tall and pale. His hair was so blond as to be almost white, and his eyes were a soft baby blue. Despite the late summer weather, he wore a baggy blue hoodie over a pair of orange parachute pants with dangling suspenders.

“ ‘Sup,” the first one offered, his voice calm and friendly. “Name’s Buck Dewey.”

“I’m Sour Cream,” said the pale one, his voice strangely deep and monotone. His voice, too, was not unfriendly.

Steven waved excitedly, earning him a smile from his neighbors. “Hello! I’m Steven Universe!”

“Is Universe really your last name?” asked Sour Cream.

“Is your name really Sour Cream?” smirked Steven. Sour Cream smiled but said nothing.

“So, looks like we’re balcony buddies. Nice to meet you, Steven. You by yourself?” Buck leaned back against the railing, the epitome of relaxation.

“No, Lars is my roommate, but he’s sleeping. I’m sure you’ll see him around.”

“Looking forward to it.” Buck took Steven’s hand, shaking it heartily, followed by Sour Cream. “We’re going to finish packing. Catch you on the flipside.” He disappeared into his room, followed by Sour Cream.

Steven went back into his own room to see Lars staring at him wide-eyed. “Who were they?”

“Oh, those were our neighbors, Buck Dewey and Sour Cream. Isn’t that a great name?”

Lars nodded slowly, his expression still one of disbelief. “Yeah, I would know. I went to school with them.”

“Awesome! I’ll go get them, let them know you’re up.” Steven turned to leave but was interrupted by a crashing sound. He turned back to see Lars on the floor, scrambling wildly between standing up and moving towards Steven.

“No, don’t!” He managed to finally get his footing, taking a deep breath. “I mean, I’ll see them around, and they’re probably still unpacking, and I don’t want to bother them.” Lars’ voice was even more crackly now, shooting up an octave as he rambled.

Steven furrowed his brow but refused to question his roommate’s behavior. “Oookay. That’s fine too.” His smile quickly returned to his face as he sat back on his bed. “So, tomorrow’s Saturday. Any big plans for the weekend?”

“No.” Lars scoffed, lying back down, putting on his headphones again. His scowl had returned, and he stared at the ceiling as if he was willing it to fall on both their heads.

Steven paid no mind to his moody roommate, checking his phone. His dad had texted him that he was home alright, but other than that it was empty. Made enough sense, Steven didn’t really know anyone. He sighed, pulling up a mindless tapping game that he had already deleted and reinstalled about ten times. He really did like being homeschooled: his father had been a travelling musician for a few years early on in Steven’s life, and it just made sense. By the time they had settled down in Beach City, Steven had no intention of being thrown into a school system he knew nothing about. Still, he sometimes wondered how his life would have turned out if he had gone to public school, or if they had settled in a bigger town than Beach City, which had more seagulls than actual residents.

Steven put his phone on his desk and laid down in his bed, mirroring his roommate’s stare at the ceiling. The blank white surface offered little stimulation, and Steven began to ponder, something he was very good at and not always comfortable with.

He wondered how his dad was sleeping tonight. How Peedee was doing, slowly taking over for his old man at the local fry shop. How his cat would respond to the sudden lack of him in the house. As the sun set and Steven felt his eyes droop, one last thought went through his mind.

He wondered what his mom would think of him.

The next day he woke up early, well before his roommate. Steven had a feeling that Lars was the kind of guy to sleep until noon anyways. Rubbing his eyes, he shuffled down to the end of the hall for his shower. When he finished, he went back to his room, slightly more awake, and put his pajamas away, pondering what to do next.

“I guess I’ll go get coffee. Might as well do this college kid thing right.”

He bounded down the stairs, already slightly worn out with the lack of an elevator. At the front desk, the same quiet girl who had checked him in yesterday sat patiently, her fingers laced together as she stared at seemingly nothing.

“Excuse me.” Steven walked in front of the girl. It was hard to tell where she was looking due to her hair. “Do you know where a nearby coffee shop is?”

“Over by the English building is the campus café.” Her voice was soft and scratchy, a quiet monotone. Apart from speaking, she made no motion. Steven nodded kindly and quickly skittered away, a little unnerved.

The café, located on the far side from Steven’s dorm of the English building, was a small glass building with a red and white awning that ran the length of the roof. On top of the coffee shop was an inflated snake with a cartoonish grin, the university’s mascot. Steven couldn’t help but giggle a little at the oversized serpent: he thought of how Peedee’s brother was always strangely obsessed with snakes.

He pushed open the door, his entrance accompanied by an electronic chime. The inside of the café was as small as the outside would have you believe, if not smaller. Posters for various campus events were already taped to the side of one of the several refrigerators snaking around the interior. The front desk had a small glass container filled with pastries, and Steven could feel his mouth watering. He approached the counter eagerly, then paused to look around. He seemed to be the only person in the building. 

The illusion of solitude was quickly broken by a rather short blonde practically rolling out from the back, her face flushed.

“Sorry! Didn’t meant to keep you waiting!” She slid into place behind the counter, flashing Steven a harried smile. “How may I help you today?”

“Um, just a small coffee and a pink frosted donut. And don’t worry, I just walked in.”

The girl sighed and let her shoulders drop in relief. “Oh, thank God. I’m the only one here and it is a pain to get everything set up in the morning.” She turned to prep the coffee, now obviously at ease with the calm student. “I’m guessing you’re a freshman? I didn’t see you here last semester.”

“Yup, I’m Steven Universe.”

The girl snorted. “Nice. Sadie Miller, frantic sophomore.” The coffee began to boil and she grabbed a mop. “So, what brought you to Callison?”

Steven leaned forward onto the counter, crossing his arms. “I wanted to get out of Beach City and meet people, to be honest. Plus, it’s still close enough to home that I can see my dad whenever I want. You?”

“I actually came here for the music program. But, that didn’t work out, so I guess I’m a finance major now.” Her smile never left her face, but it seemed a bit forced all of a sudden. Sadie grabbed Steven’s donut, dropping it into a thin paper bag. “Your coffee should be ready here in a second. I’m going to go finish getting stuff set up in the back.” She turned to look at the back door then looked back at Steven. “I don’t suppose you’re looking for a job?”

“Not really, but I’ll spread the word.”

“Thanks!” She bolted quickly into the back room, leaving Steven alone in the store again. He leaned up against the wall, nibbling at his donut. The sugar was already waking him up quite nicely. Outside, the late summer sun had already warmed the air up, and students strolled back and forth in loose t-shirts and high-cut shorts. Steven looked down at his own attire, a faded pink shirt with cargo shorts. Seemed good enough.

His attention turned to the posters on the fridge closest to him. Most were selling or buying textbooks, with a few advertising upcoming clubs. Most were political and social, and Steven grabbed his phone to take pictures of a few he would look up later. A small buzzer sounded, and Sadie appeared shortly after to hand him his coffee. He thanked her and headed outside, wrinkling his nose as he sipped the bitter drink. Maybe tea would have been a better start to his college career. 

Bored, he decided to check out what had been his favorite building on the tour: Buddwick Library. A few wrong turns later, he found himself in front of the sleek modern building, more windows than anything else. Steven could already see the piles upon piles of books waiting for him. It was almost enough to make him cry. Almost.

He flashed his student ID at a student worker as he walked in, his eyes wide with excitement. The library was three stories: the basement contained journals and academic papers, the first floor was where the majority of the books were kept, and the second floor had the older and more esoteric books. Steven had already been in the basement, but for time’s sake the tour had skipped the second floor. He huffed up the stairs, curious what awaited him.

Steven felt slightly disappointed that the second floor looked as normal as it did. In the far back were individual study booths, as well as several large round tables for group studying. Portraits of various authors dotted the brick walls, a hundred and one dead artists urging Steven to seek knowledge. He averted his gaze from a particularly dour portrait of Henry James and burrowed into the bookshelves. 

Almost immediately, he nearly collided with a student whose hair was so faintly lilac it almost looked blonde. Her hair was about all Steven could see: the stack of books she was carrying (almost all on Virginia Woolf, Steven noted) covered most of her face. If Steven hadn’t stepped back at the last moment, he would have surely crashed into her.

“Excuse me, do you need help carrying those?” Steven eyed the stack nervously as it teetered in her arms.

“I’ve got it, dude, if you don’t mind directing me to the nearest table.” Her voice was high and raspy and sounded almost bored. Steven verbally guided her to the table slowly, holding his hands out to make sure the stack didn’t fall when she set it on the table. She turned to Steven, her long hair covering one of her dark brown eyes. She was slightly shorter than Steven, and her round face held an amused expression. 

“Thanks. Name’s Amethyst, Amethyst Azote.” She stuck out her hand and Steven took it, wincing when she gripped his hand in a vice-like manner.

“Steven Universe.”

“No shit?” He blushed and shook his head. “Nice to meet you, Steven Universe. I’m guessing you’re a baby fish?” She smirked, finally letting go of his hand.

“Yeah, I just got here yesterday.”

“Nice. I’ve already been here for a year.” Amethyst patted the books with pride. “English major. Have you decided any of that yet?” When Steven shook his head again, she grinned widely. “Oh, that’s okay. Just don’t be that sucker trying to shove together some crap major from whatever he took over the last four years.” She turned to her stack of books and sighed. “Yo, what dorm are you in?”

“Dietz Hall.”

“Same. You mind helping me lug these bad boys?” Steven grabbed half of the stack, making sure he had a good grip. Amethyst did the same and they began the careful trek back to the dorm.

The two talked idly as they marched back. Steven was surprised by how exuberant Amethyst seemed to be. One second she’d be listing off one of a dozen bizarre food combinations he needed to try (popcorn and whipped cream?), the next she’d see someone she knew and would shout something mildly crude halfway across the courtyard. People stared at the short woman, but neither she nor Steven seemed to notice. They enjoyed each other’s company, and before they knew it, they were back at Dietz Hall, standing in front of Amethyst’s second-floor room while she searched herself for her keycard. After Steven finally pointed out she was wearing it on a lanyard, she got the door open, revealing a cluttered room to match even himself.

“How long have you been on campus?” He gawked at the stacks of papers on her desk and the pile of clothes at the foot of her bed.

“Since yesterday, why?”

Steven opened his mouth and closed it, rethinking saying anything. “Just curious.”

Amethyst laughed. “No, I’m fully aware of the mess. At least my roommate doesn’t mind, especially since she lived with me last year.” They set the books down, Amethyst noisily stretching right after. “So, Steven, are you interested in joining a study group?”

He blinked, a bit surprised at the sudden offer. “Sure, what kind?”

“That’s the fun part. We’re all different majors, so we all just kinda pile in and hope for the best. You’re getting a good deal, being a freshman.” 

Steven couldn’t help but bounce on the balls of his feet. Already he was making friends! “When and where?”

Amethyst held out her phone. “Just plug in your number and I’ll let you know what’s up.” Steven did so and she snatched her phone back. “Great! I’ll let you get back to the rest of your day.” She flopped down on her bed, looking down at her phone.

Steven waited an awkward moment before slipping out of the room. As social as she seemed to be, Amethyst seemed to be almost standoffish, although that might have been because she had just met him. Steven decided to head back to his room and kill some time watching cartoons.

When he got back to the room, Lars was awake, blasting music into his comically large headphones. He was laying in bed, reading some comic book that looked rather grim. When the door closed, his eyes flicked up at Steven and he took off his headphones.

“Where have you been?” 

“I was just walking around, went to grab coffee, check out the library.”

“Fun. Coffee any good?”

Steven shook his head violently. “Way too bitter for me. But they’re hiring if you know anyone who’s interested.”

Lars pursed his lips. “I might have to go check that out. Might be nice to have something to do besides study. Thanks.”

Steven raised his eyebrows at Lars’ politeness but simply nodded. He was suddenly sleepy, and figured a nap would do him well before he wasted the rest of his day on  _ Crying Breakfast Friends _ . He crawled into bed and threw the covers over him, falling asleep as soon as his head struck the pillow. It had been a pleasant first morning at Callison University.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunday passed much like Saturday. With no homework yet assigned, Steven didn’t have much else to do but lay in bed and watch shows on his laptop. Lars was equally active, reading his morbid comic books. Steven made the mistake of asking to see one; surprisingly, Lars didn’t snipe at him. Worse, he had grinned wickedly and politely handed it immediately to him. Steven opened it at random and, after turning a new shade of white, handed it just as politely back to Lars, who simply cackled before snatching it out of his hand.

Steven lay with his arms behind his head, staring at the cartoons playing without really paying attention. He discreetly looked up at his roommate, who was again buried in his comic book. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Lars. Obviously, it was the beginning of a large change, and Steven could understand some hostility and frustration. But Lars was almost lazy in his prickliness: it was clear to him that his behavior was a norm for him. Steven sighed and turned his attention back to his computer. He had already seen this episode several times, but it was a good one.

Monday arrived early, and the two young men floundered about the room, unprepared for their morning classes. Lars barked at Steven to move faster, and Steven responded as he always did under pressure, with much flailing about and groaning.

After Lars put shoes on the wrong feet twice and Steven nearly fell headfirst down the stairs, the two made it outside, quickly parting directions. Steven’s first class was a general physics course for non-majors. He liked science well enough, although the math always frustrated him. He’d rather skip that for all the fun stuff, like explosions, or reading about sloths.

The lecture hall was already fairly packed, and Steven slowly wound his way to the back where a few seats remained. The teacher, a tall British woman with large cat-eye glasses and a shock of blonde, frizzy hair who introduced herself as “Doctor Professor Sardonyx”, made the lesson go by quickly, especially as the first half of class was running through the syllabus. She seemed strange, but likable enough. 

At the end of class, Steven’s phone buzzed, and an unknown number appeared.

_ yo this is amethyst _

_ study group second floor buddwick, 6pm _

Steven checked his schedule to make sure, then texted back a confirmation before trudging to his next class, decidedly unenthusiastic for his math class that was next. Every other course had something that Steven could relate to, but how do you relate to numbers on a board? The rigidity of math had always put Steven off; he couldn’t begin to count how often his dad had just stared confused at his worksheet, the answers somehow generally correct but the work horribly wrong.

Steven’s hopes of having a sympathetic teacher were quickly dashed. A giant of a woman, Professor Sugilite waved the syllabus wordlessly, glaring at the room to make sure they would read it later. The rest of the class was practicing basic math problems, with pens thrown at the occasional student who had the misfortune to fall asleep. Steven scooted out with a grimace. At least she had made the problems easy to understand. 

After math he had some time until his next class, so Steven decided to grab a quick lunch. There were two small cafeterias on campus, and Steven decided to go to the one closer to his next class. To his surprise, Lars was there, sitting by himself, headphones glued on. Steven grabbed his food and sat, grinning, in front of Lars, who only rolled his eyes.

“How are you smiling after class? I thought History was going to kill me,” he grumbled, taking off his headphones. 

“The teachers were okay enough, I think. Besides, I like food.” Steven shrugged, as if it was the most obvious thing. He then noticed that Lars sat without a tray in front of him. “You’re not going to eat?”

“Nah, I’m never hungry for lunch. Tiny breakfast, giant dinner, I’m good.” He eyed Steven’s tray. “Although, if you don’t want that apple . . .”

Steven handed the fruit to his roommate before swivelling his head about, seeing if any of the other four people he knew on campus were there. His eyes met Sadie’s, and he waved her over. Lars didn’t seem to notice until she was sitting directly next to him. 

“Hey, it’s Steven, right?”

“Hi, Sadie!” Someone at the next table turned to see who was yelling, and Sadie blushed. She turned to Lars. “Hey, I don’t know if we’ve met, I’m Sadie Miller.”

He stuck out his hand awkwardly, and when he spoke it took a moment for him to bring it down an octave. “Lars Barriga.”

“Cool name!”

Lars ran his hand through his hair, grinning stupidly. “Thanks, I picked it myself.”

Sadie giggled, and Steven could see Lars practically melt into a puddle. His roommate had it bad.

“Um, I forgot something in my room, I’ll catch you two later.” Steven piled up his food, not sure how to process Lars’ sudden look. It was pleading, but whether it was for him to stay or leave faster, he couldn’t say. He nodded politely and booked it.

Outside, the sky was cloudy enough to keep the sun from murdering everyone. Steven found a bench and began to eat. He looked around, watching students pass him by. In the distance, he could vaguely see Sour Cream with Buck and another girl he didn’t know. Nearby, a round-faced student with perfectly gelled hair sat throwing chips to the birds around him. Steven made eye-contact with him, and the two stared at each other for an uncomfortably long time, Steven finally looking away. Weird kid.

He finished his lunch, smiling as he noticed Lars and Sadie leaving the cafeteria together. Those two would be cute together. Steven stifled a snicker as he tried to imagine Lars having feelings for anyone; it seemed so unlike him. 

His watch beeped, and Steven quickly grabbed his backpack and launched off to English class.

All his life, Steven had adored books. When Peedee came over with a new movie for Steven to watch, he’d manage to find the book within the week, always preferring it to the screen. Sci-fi, biographies, murder mysteries: all were open game to Steven, and he was always hunting. 

The lecture hall was already fit to burst by the time Steven got there, and he sat in one of two empty seats at the very back, pouting. To his left was an incredibly short blonde, her hair frizzed into every direction imaginable. She wore a green flannel shirt with the sleeves pushed sloppily up to the elbows, and her coke-bottle glasses had clearly been broken and glued together several times. Moreso, she looked antsy as hell, checking her watch and muttering, doodling little circles in the corner of her page until it was nearly black with ink.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Steven whispered.

The blonde looked over at him with a surprised look on her face, almost as if shocked by the audacity of this curly-haired interloper. “What? Yes, I’m fine, I’m just  _ really _ ready for this teacher to show up. Honestly, it’s already three minutes past starting time, does she have  _ no _ respect for our time?”

Steven pulled back a little. This girl was high-strung with a ten-foot-tall capital ‘H’. “I’m sure she’ll be here soon. It’s a big campus.”

The girl grumbled under her breath but said nothing else, digging her pen hard enough into her paper to tear it. Eesh. 

Three minutes became ten minutes, and the blonde’s anxiousness slowly diffused through the room, one or two students even leaving. Steven stole a glance at his neighbors’s paper, and was unsurprised to see the entire margin inked in.

“So, are you a freshman?” Steven decided to pass the time with conversation. It was certainly less boring than staring at the empty whiteboard at the front of the room. 

The blonde sneered at him. “Junior, thank you very much. Why? Do I look like a child?” She grit her teeth with her last few words, and Steven realized he had touched a very sore spot indeed.

“No no! This is just a freshman class is all!”

“I’m very aware of that. I shouldn’t even have to be here. I’m an engineering major! But no, apparently English is required for everyone, even those too smart to be here.”

Steven plastered a grin on his face and nodded, saying nothing. He would much rather stare at the whiteboard than try to make any sort of conversation with this woman. 

The sound of a backpack dropping caught his attention, and he turned to see a young woman about his age slowly sit down next to him. Her dark hair fell to nearly her waist, and she wore cartoonishly round glasses that had no lenses in them. Her face was slim, and even as she smiled shyly at Steven, her expression fell back into one of practiced studiousness. 

“Is this the freshman English class?”

“Um, yeah, the teacher is late though.”

“Oh, good. I slept in and was worried I’d be late too.” She paused. “I mean, I technically am, but I’m not later than her, which is good. What’s your name?”

“Steven Universe, you?”

Her mouth dropped into a little ‘o’ shape. “Such a cool name! I’m Connie, Connie Maheswaran.” She stuck out her hand, shaking Steven’s with a business-like efficiency. 

“Nice to meet you, Connie Connie Maheswaran.” He grinned at his own joke, and was delighted to see her crack a grin as well.

Any further conversation was dashed immediately, as the teacher burst through the doors with a flurry of apologies trailing in behind her. She wrote “Dr. Opal” in large, loopy letters on the board, and began to read through the syllabus at breakneck speed, often having to double back to read a bullet she had forgotten or only read partially. Steven, Connie, and everyone else could only stare with glazed eyes at this mess of a teacher. 

The class ended mercifully soon, and the class trailed out slowly, Dr. Opal cheerfully waving good-bye to each student. Steven and Connie both waved back, smiling at her earnestness, and Steven turned around to crash full force into the blonde who had been sitting next to him.

“Watch where you’re going!” She screeched at him.

“Sorry! I didn’t see you there!”

“Obviously! That’s why I told you to watch where you were going. Clod,” she added under her breath. She stormed off, leaving a very irritated Steven.

“Hey, you okay?” Connie came up behind him, and Steven felt his irritation immediately ebb a little.

“Yeah. What is her problem?”

“Beats me. Some people just have a permanent stick up their butt.” She looked like she wanted to add something, but she closed her statement with an apologetic smile. “Where are you heading now?”

“Back to Dietz Hall, I’m done for the day. You?”

“Oh! I’m actually in Magno Hall right by you. Want to walk together?”

“Sure!” Steven’s answer was a more than a little enthusiastic, and she smiled brightly at him.

As the two walked, they began to slowly trade information. Connie was a freshman like he was, but had already decided on a medical career. 

“That’s neat! Like, a brain surgeon?”

Connie laughed. “No way, I don’t trust myself enough. Probably just a family practitioner. Anything so long as it’s a doctor.”

“How long have you wanted to be a doctor?”

“Oh hey, we’re at Magno Hall!” 

Steven looked up, impressed as ever with the buildings on campus. “How new is this one?”

“Maybe a decade? Pretty young for a dorm building. Isn’t Dietz Hall from, like, the 1800s?”

“Nah, they re-built it in the 60s, if I remember the tour guide correctly.”

Connie stuck her hand out, shaking Steven’s as efficiently as ever. “Well, Steven Universe, it was really nice meeting. I hope I’ll see you around campus.”

“Looking forward to it, Connie Connie.”

She flashed him a dazzling grin and disappeared into her building. Steven stared up at Magno Hall for a minute before turning back to his own new home.

Not a bad way to end his day.

Lars was in his usual position, music screaming from his oversized headphones.

“Don’t you worry about hurting your ears?” Steven flung his backpack onto his bed, letting out a sound of relief as he kicked off his shoes. Lars gave him a look and made a show of turning his music up a few notches, only to fling his headphones off when a particularly loud note surprised him. He shot a warning look at Steven, who grinned but said nothing.

“So, I saw you talking to Sadie earlier.”

“Yeah,  _ mom _ , what about it?”

“Nothing, I just think it’s cool you’re making friends. She seems like a nice person.”

Lars made a grumbling noise. “She’s alright. Kinda sunshiney, like you.”

Steven made a look of mock horror. “Anything but that!” To his amusement, Lars snickered at that.

“Well, we did talk about the coffee place. I’m gonna help her out this weekend, see how it goes.”

“That’s great! I’m happy for you, Lars.” Steven gave two thumbs-up to his roommate, who rolled his eyes and picked up his headphones again. Still, the mood was a bit warmer in the room.

Steven checked his phone: no new messages. He stared at his bed, unsure if he should take a nap or start the first inklings of homework. He thought of his math class and could already feel the cold grip of upper-level algebra threatening to chain him to his desk. A few minutes of studying couldn’t hurt.

What started off as a light review quickly became mind-numbing frustration as Steven found himself caught on one problem in particular, numbers and letters taunting him from the page. Lars had looked at it briefly, only to shrug and crawl back into his bed. Steven wasn’t too surprised to learn that Lars did not hold studying in the highest esteem.

The sound of his phone rattling against his desk startled Steven out of his stress-induced catatonia, and an unknown but familiar looking number flashed on his screen.

“Hello?”

“Yo, did you forget about our study session? We’re waiting, so bring anything you need help with.”   
Steven yelped out something between “sorry” and “on my way” and tumbled out the door and down the stairs, practically galloping to the library.

As soon as he made it to the second floor, a loud “Yo!”, immediately followed by a harsh shushing, alerted Steven to the group’s presence.

Amethyst sat all the way to the left, leaning back in her seat, a few books and a microwave meal stacked in front of her. Immediately next to her was a tall, thin woman with a beak-like nose and strawberry-blonde hair down to her shoulders. Her pale blue eyes darted between Amethyst and Steven nervously. Next to her was a black woman a few years older than the other two, smiling patiently as Steven approached. Her hair was tall on her head and styled into a tapered fade, and her eyes shone warmly behind Lennon glasses. 

“Hello, Steven.” Her voice was warm and honied, and Steven geeked out a little at hearing her soft British accent. “We were just about to start.”

“How’d you know who I was?”

She laughed quietly, sticking a thumb out at Amethyst. “She pointed you at as soon as she saw you. I don’t suppose you’ve met Pearl yet?” She asked, gesturing to the woman next to her.

“I haven’t.” He shook her hand delicately, and she did her best to flash him a warm smile.

“I’m Garnet. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Well, thanks for inviting me to join you guys.”

“Don’t thank us, it was Amethyst’s idea. Why did you invite him, anyways?” Pearl turned to Amethyst, her tone immediately fading from politeness to interrogation.

Amethyst patted the seat next to her, inviting Steven to come sit, which he did, gingerly. “Dude’s cool. You know he’s the first person to seriously consider my idea for those waffle breakfast burritos?”

Pearl’s face turned green, and even Garnet’s calm demeanor seemed rattled.

“I mean, take out the thick-cut pepperoni, and I think it could be alright?”

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “Cowards, all of you. Alright, we might as well do something while we’re here. Steven, what did you say your major was again?”

“I didn’t.”

“Right, right. Well, like I said, I’m an English major, so I should honestly be practicing my burger-flipping skills instead of this shiz.” She pointed at Garnet. “She’s doing psych, so don’t be surprised when she peels your mind, and Pearl--”

“I’m majoring in Education with a focus on Elementary School,” Pearl interrupted, her cadence clearly rehearsed.

“That’s so cool! What made you want to do that?”

Amethyst and Garnet both let out tired groans, while Pearl’s eyes shone brightly.

“My kindergarten teacher was the most beautiful woman. She was kind, patient, and taught us so much about ourselves and the world around us.”

Amethyst moved her mouth in sync with Pearl’s words.

Steven smiled, his lips a little thin. “That’s really cool. I’m glad to hear that she had such an impact like that. Honestly, I’ve thought about being a teacher myself, like my mom.”

Garnet’s eyes narrowed, but no one else noticed. The conversation trailed off to teachers (Amethyst especially amused with Steven’s fear of Sugilite), campus life (Steven writing down nightclub’s names as fast as Garnet could list them, despite Pearl’s objections), and finally, relationships.

“So, Steven,” Amethyst crooned as she waggled her eyebrows obscenely, “got any honeys back home?”

“Erm, not really. I never really dated or anything like that. I mean, there was this girl today, but I just met her, so it’s nothing yet.”

“Yet.” 

Garnet shoved at Amethyst playfully. “Let the boy be patient, it doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“No way, we need to get him learned on some spanish guitar.  _ Muy caliente _ .”

Steven’s face flushed as the three women descended into good-natured bickering over his next best course of action. He could tell, looking at their expressions, that they each knew the argument well enough as well as their roles in it: the words would change from topic to topic, but the underlying rhythm never lost track. He felt a bit intrusive, until Garnet caught his eye and winked, never straying from the conversation at hand. Steven felt a small smile grow on his face, and suddenly it was huge. 

His first day of classes had been pretty rewarding. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks followed a fairly similar pattern: a bit of bustle from Steven and Lars as they rushed off to their respective classes, said classes, a quick lunch together, more class, then back in the room to study. Several patterns began to lock into place. 

Steven loved his science class, full stop. “Doctor Professor” Sardonyx was weird, and at times a bit overwhelming, but she reminded Steven of a show host, treating her room more like a Bill Nye presentation than a university course.

Math was terrifying. Professor Sugilite was decent enough at explaining some of the more difficult work, but she ran her lecture hall like a boot camp. One student had made the mistake of bringing in a pizza; he had shamefully fished it out of the trash after class. Steven made sure to sit as far back as appropriate, often staring down at his paper to avoid invoking his teacher’s attention.

However, even the terror of math was slightly better than the outright frustration of English class. After that first day, Steven would walk in to see Connie in the front row, surrounded by the other over-achievers. He would then slowly drag his feet to the back of the lecture hall, where the only seat remaining would, invariably, be next to the blonde girl.

Steven had really tried to think of her sympathetically. Maybe her first day had just been extra bad. Maybe she hadn’t been able to take a class she liked and was stuck in English. Maybe she had transferred and felt lonely. All of these ‘maybe’s slowly fell apart as Steven was forced to reconcile himself to an unpleasant truth: this girl was just  _ mean _ .

Every day when he sank into his seat, she would look at him like he was a bug in her food. Any attempts to smile, wave, or engage any other pleasantries were immediately met with eye rolling and mutters of “clod”. 

The absolute worst part, however, was when Dr. Opal would walk in. After her first class, she had been better about showing up on time, but the class quickly realized that she was the quintessential absent-minded professor. Homework assigned on Monday was swept under the rug by Friday, and she was prone to interrupting herself as she remembered something more important to impart to her students. And every time -- every time she would interrupt herself, lose track of her thoughts, or just generally get off topic -- every time, the blonde girl would scoff none too quietly. Steven heard it every time, and he knew for a fact the other students around them could as well. One day, however, Steven happened to look up at Dr. Opal as Peridot scoffed yet again, and saw her looking up their direction, with a rather sad look on her face. She knew.

“Guys, she heard her! And she looked so hurt!”

Steven sat in the library with the study group, his third time meeting with them. Their meetings were irregular at best, and considering that none of them shared the same major, the need for studying (and the help available) was limited. By the second meeting, Steven recognized it for what it was: an excuse to gossip.

Pearl shook her head slowly. “That’s so disrespectful. Why do you keep sitting next to her?”

“There’s nowhere else to sit!”

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Then show up earlier. At least once, so you can get a break from this girl. She sounds like a beast.”

“Yeah, dude. I’d have punched her by now.” Amethyst was staring at her phone, her eyes lifting up once in a while to check on the conversation.

“No you wouldn’t, you would have just moved.” Garnet spoke matter-of-factly.

“Well, I’ve already punched her in my head. It counts.”

Steven groaned and slid into his seat. “I guess that’s what I’ll do. It just means I’ll have to miss some of my lunch time.”

Amethyst scoffed. “Nah man, it’s Dr. Opal, she’s super chill with food. Just nothing, like, too crunchy. Oh, and tell her I said hey.”

The next day, Steven kept to his plan and showed up for class fifteen minutes early, early enough that the previous class was still in session, just wrapping up. He sunk down onto a nearby bench and pulled out his phone. No messages from his dad that day, which wasn’t too surprising. They called on the weekends, generally for an hour or two, but for the most part Greg had left Steven to his own devices.

The sound of a backpack landing on the floor pulled Steven’s attention away from his phone and he looked up to see Connie, smiling shyly at him.

“Surprised to see you here this early.”

He smiled back, hoping that it looked more friendly and less anxious than it felt. “Yeah, I’m just getting tired of sitting in the back of the room.”

“Is it the back of the room that’s the issue?” Her shy smile had tilted into something a bit more sardonic, and Steven felt his mood sour at the mere thought of his usual neighbor.

“Whatever. At least I don’t have to sit next to her today.” The previous class began to slowly spill out, and Steven and Connie sat next to each other in the front row, idly chatting about homework and the newness of college. They had only been visiting for a few minutes when the blonde girl entered, glaring at them as she skulked to the back of the classroom.

“Guess she won’t be too pleasant today,” Connie muttered.

“Guess not.”

The rest of the room slowly filled in, Dr. Opal naturally being the last to arrive. She wasted no time in launching into cursory examination of  _ The Great Gatsby _ , their first text of the year. Steven and Connie both gave each other an excited side-eye: Connie had read it at least five times, while Steven had yet to pick it up. The class progressed smoothly, until:

“So, try to have the first thirty pages done by this weekend. Wait, was it thirty or forty? Let me check my notes.”

As Dr. Opal fussed with a stack of papers on her desk, Steven could hear the tiniest little coughing sound from behind him. The blonde girl was back at it.

Unfortunately, Steven was not the only one to hear it. Dr. Opal paused in her search, looking down at her watch and frowning.

“You know what? It’s only fifteen minutes until class ends. You guys can leave early today. It’s forty pages, I’ve decided.”

With that, she gathered up her papers, gave the classroom an apologetic smile, and walked out the door.

Everyone stared in silence for a few moments, stunned by the abrupt dismissal, then quickly gathered their things and started to walk out the door. The only exceptions were Steven and Connie, who sat still like statues.

“There’s no way that wasn’t connected.”

“Connie, you saw how sad she looked. This is awful!” In spite of himself, Steven could hear his voice catching in his throat a bit. He let out a groan and put his head down on his desk. 

“Are you okay?”

“No! I feel so bad for her! She’s honestly not even a bad teacher, and this girl keeps slamming on her for no reason!” 

As if on cue, the blonde girl walked by them, in as sour a mood as ever.

“Hey!” 

She whipped around, her expression melting from surprise to a sneer as she recognized the person calling her. 

“What is it? I’ve got a class to get to.”

“What is your problem?” Steven tried hard to keep his voice level, but he could still hear his volume rising.

“My problem?” The blonde girl’s voice rose into a bit of a shriek. “I haven’t got a problem, apart from being stuck in a room full of imbeciles. Will you please excuse me?”

“No!” Steven stood up, walking over to where the girl stood. Up close, she was much shorter than he had originally thought. “Do you realize that you’re the reason Dr. Opal let us out early today?”

She rolled her eyes. “One, that’s absurd, and two, if that is the case, why aren’t you thanking me? This class sucks!”

Steven took a deep breath. He had never been one to lose his temper, and he wasn’t about to let this girl make him start. “Look, she can hear you, every time you do that scoffing thing. You’re really hurting her feelings.”

“Really.”

“Yes!”

The blonde let out a harsh sound that Steven realized was supposed to be a laugh. “Do I look like I care?”

Steven looked over at Connie helplessly, unsure what to say or do next. She responded with a shake of her head that made it clear she was just as out of her depth as he was. He turned back to the girl, his anger replaced with tiredness.

“I don’t know how to tell you to be nice to people. I’m sorry you’re so miserable that you have to take it out on everyone else.” With that, he snagged his backpack and left the room, followed shortly by Connie.

“Damn, you told her off.”

“I don’t think I did,” he muttered. “I just hope she doesn’t stay awful.”

The next class, Steven was a little late, as was more the norm, and he slowly wound his way to the back of the room, giving a small wave to Connie as he passed her. To his surprise, the blonde girl was nowhere to be seen. With a bit of relaxed little grin, he settled into his seat, excited at the thought of a peaceful class. Dr. Opal was a bit more subdued than normal, but otherwise seemed okay.

The class after that, Steven was again pleasantly surprised to see none of the blonde.

By the third time, the surprise was gone.

By the fourth time, Steven began to worry.

“So, you yelled at her, and now she doesn’t go to class?”

Steven sat with the study group at a table under a tree, each of them snacking.

“I didn’t yell at her, I just . . . spoke to her sternly with a slightly raised voice.”

“Dude, you make it sound like you’re her dad.” Amethyst pulled a tuft of hair over her lip in mimicry of a mustache, and put her hands on her hips. “Young lady! No talking back to the teacher for a month! Harrumph harrumph!”

The table broke out into a few giggles that quickly subsided.

“Personally, though I’m never one to recommend fighting like that,” Pearl opined, “I think you did the right thing. If she’s going to behave like a child, treating her like one isn’t a bad approach.

Steven winced a little. “That’s the problem. I’m worried I might have hurt her feelings, and then I’ve just gone and done exactly what she’s doing.”

“Hardly. You were trying to correct poor behavior; she’s just mocking a professor.”

Amethyst clasped both of their shoulders. “Mom, Dad. No more big words. Steven, if you’re that bummed by it, go apologize to her. Easy ‘nuff.”

He looked over at Garnet, who nodded in assent, and nodded back. “I’ll start tomorrow. First, I need one of you to look at my math homework.”

The three women groaned in unison.

The next morning, a Saturday, Steven was woken up at a little past five by a rather frantic Lars.

“Steven! Wake up and help me!”

Steven turned to look at his roommate through sleepy eyes, still not fully processing what was happening.

“I need to go to work and I can’t find my binder.”

Steven yawned, shaking his head. “I’ve got one in my backpack if you need it, three rings and all.” He put his head back on his pillow, closing his eyes.

“No! Not that kind! My  _ binder _ .”

“Oh. Did you check under your bed? You always throw it there.”

“Twice.”

Steven sat up, shooting his roommate an uncharacteristically dirty look. “So, if I look under there, I absolutely will not find it.”

Lars looked a little less sure. “Positive.”

Steven rolled out of bed, his bare feet hitting the floor with a loud thump. He pushed past Lars none too delicately and dropped to his hands and knees for a moment, glowering at his roommate when he stood up with a crumpled up piece of grey cloth in his hand. “I’m going back to bed.”

“Thanks,” Lars blushed as he took it from him. “I’ll get you some donuts or something.”

“Thanks, man.”

Lars got dressed quickly, throwing on the purple shirt he was required to wear at the coffee shop. He waved at Steven as he left, who didn’t see as he was already fast asleep again.

A few hours later, he finally awoke, bleary-eyed and not entirely sure that his morning hadn’t just been a dream. The room was quiet, the only sound being the AC fading to a still. Most Saturday mornings, Steven liked to lie in bed, staring at the ceiling and not thinking of much. Today, however, he had a mission.

Behind the dorm’s front desk was the same girl as usual, her eyes still hidden by her hair. By now the blue had started to fade, now more of a sky-blue. Steven had grown slowly used to her presence and strange behavior. Still, she was a little eerie.

“Morning!”

She nodded at him silently.

“Would you be able to tell me where the engineering building is?”

She cocked her head to the side. “It’s Saturday. There won’t be any teachers there.”

“No, I know, I’m looking for a student.”

“Ah. It’ll be out past the lake, just past the last grove of trees.”

“Thanks!” He turned to leave, but stopped short. “What’s your name?”

She started a little, clearly surprised. “Um, Deedee. But most people just call me Blue.” She motioned at herself, smiling wryly. “I kind of like it, actually.”

“Nice to meet you, Blue. I’m Steven!” He stuck out his hand, which she took delicately. With that he bounced out the door and left her there, staring at where he had just been.

The engineering building, the Rabara complex, was one of the newer buildings on campus and reflected its contents: gleaming white walls housed massive windows, every curve and corner immaculately pressed together.

Steven made a small grunt of approval as he saw a handful of students walk into the building. He’d be able to ask around here. He pushed through the doors and approached a small group of students, chatting about hydraulic somethings that held no importance to Steven.

“Excuse me?”

The nearest one to him turned to look at him, a pleasant enough smile on her face.

“I’m looking for an engineering student. I don’t know her name, but she’s blonde, really short, and kind of mean . . .”

The girl’s smile vanished as she and the rest of the group made various gagging sounds. “You must mean Peridot Magnes. No one’s seen her around for the last few days, thank God.” The rest of the group giggled and agreed, and Steven felt his heart sink.

“Well, does she live on campus? It’s important that I talk to her as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, she lives in Paz Hall,” a burly guy at the back piped up.

Steven gave them all a grateful smile and dashed off.

Paz Hall was one of the newer dormitories, built in the same style as some of the older ones but clearly much younger, as yet untouched by water stains and rowdy students. Steven approached the front desk, this one manned by a blonde woman with a rather sour expression on her face.

“Yes, may I help you?” She didn’t ask the question so much as squawk it at him, and he jumped a little.

“Um, I’m looking for Peridot Magnes?”

“Are you a student here?”

He fished out his student ID, which she sniffed at dismissively.

“Be that as it may, why should I let you up there?”

Steven pulled back a little, not expecting this resistance. “Look, I really need to talk to her. I think I really hurt her feelings, and I want to apologize.”

“So says every jealous boyfriend ever,” the blonde retorted, her eyes narrowing.

“No! No, that’s definitely not it. I just sit next to her in class.”

“Does she even know your name?”

Steven hemmed and hawed as he realized that she definitely didn’t. He was just the student who waved to her twice and yelled at her. Not a good look.

The blonde rolled her eyes. “Please leave, sir.”

“Ma’am, can I at least write her a note or something for you to give her?”

“Absolutely not! That’s hardly appropriate.”

Steven sighed heavily, his patience starting to fade. “I just want to apologize to her.”

“Hey, I’ll take him up.”

The two parties to the argument turned to see a thin woman with messy blue hair walk up to the desk, her backpack still slung over her shoulder. She wore a paint-stained t-shirt and baggy blue pants without any shoes. She looked at Steven, eyeing him apathetically. 

“You said you’re looking for Peridot Magnes?”

How long had she been standing there? “Yeah, do you know her?”

“Unfortunately. I’m her roommate.” She turned to the girl behind the desk. “He’s my guest, Canary.” 

The blonde shot both of them a death glare, but motioned for them to continue, grousing quite loudly about the total lack of respect for authorities. The blue-haired girl led Steven to an elevator.

“So what’s your name?”

“Steven Universe, you?”

“Lapis Lazuli. So why are you apologizing to her? She’s a bitch.”

Steven shifted uncomfortably. “I was rude to her the other day, and apparently she’s been skipping classes since.”

Lapis’ face lit up. “Oh my god, you’re going to get her out of the room? Oh, thank god, she’s been a total bummer this week.”

“Doesn’t sound like you like her much either.”

“Who does?”

The elevator beeped at them to let them know they had arrived, and they pushed forward, Steven trailing slightly behind Lapis. When they got to her room, she unlocked it quickly and nearly kicked the door down.

“Dip, you’ve got company.”

Steven took in their room. One side was adorned with messy canvases, mostly depicting all sorts of sea monsters and other speculative sea life. A small fishbowl with an equally tiny goldfish sat on her desk. The other side was utterly spartan, a stack of books on the desk and one Einstein poster the only decorations. If Steven had any doubt as to whose side was whose, Peridot lay curled in her bed, staring at them with undisguised disdain.

“What,” she spat, “is  _ he _ doing here?”

“Idunno, he wants to apologize or something.” Lapis shrugged. “If it gets you out of the room, good.”

Peridot growled at them and threw her blanket over herself. “Go away, both of you.”

“I live here.”

“I didn’t say I cared.”

Lapis made a strangling motion with her hands before turning to Steven. “She’s all yours, I’ll be out on the balcony. Let me know when you’re done.” She left the room, flipping off her roommate as she passed by her.

Steven slowly approached the bed.

“Peridot?”

She made another growling sound, but otherwise made no response.

“I came here to apologize.”

She slowly pulled her blanket down, staring at him with a bitter expression. “Why would you apologize to me?”

Steven stared down at his feet, tapping his fingers together lightly. “The other day, when I kinda yelled at you. There was a better way to say what I wanted to say, and I’m sorry that I treated you like that.”

Her expression remained just as hard. “Okay, you’ve apologized. Now leave.”

“Are you going to come back to class?”

“Why do you care?”

Steven sat down on the floor, his head below Peridot’s. “I bumped into some students at the engineering building when I was looking for you. They said you’ve been skipping class there too.”

Peridot reached out and smacked Steven on the head.

“Ow!”

“You went looking for me? You broadcast all my problems to everyone else? Wow! Thanks!”

“No I didn’t! I just asked if anyone had seen you recently.”

“It doesn’t matter. They’d hate me even if you hadn’t shown up.”

“What do you mean?”

Peridot grumbled to herself for a moment. When she spoke, it sounded almost rehearsed, it was delivered so matter-of-factly. “People don’t like me. I’m rude, apparently bitter, and they’re jealous because I’m better than them.”

Steven pursed his lips. So close.

“But when no one likes you, even if you’re better than them, it sucks. A lot. Like, look at you. What’s your name?”

“Steven.”

Peridot let out a small laugh. “See? We didn’t even know each other’s names, and we hated each other. I’m obviously not happy with what a moron our teacher is, but I shouldn’t direct that at you. It’s not your fault.”

Steven groaned. “Peridot, you want to know something?”

“What?”

“You can’t feel sorry for everyone being kind of cold if all you do is call everyone morons.”

Peridot stayed silent, pulling the blanket back up around herself.

“You say you’re upset that people don’t like you, but then you insult them in the same breath. You have to choose.”

“Do I? Why don’t people just assume I’m great and wonderful?”

Steven sighed. “I’m not going to sit here if you keep acting like that.”

There was a low groaning sound, and Peridot sat up, her hair flying every direction. With a bit of a squint, she managed to locate her glasses and put them on. “Alright, fine. I’ll let you be my friend, if you can help me be nice to people.”

Hoo-boy. Steven took a deep breath. “First thing’s first. You don’t  _ let _ people be your friend, it just happens.”

“So, you’re not my friend?”

He was about to say no, or at least not right now, when he glanced over at her. She looked slightly better than when he had first walked in, but only slightly. Her eyes were red and puffy, rimmed with dark bags. Her pajamas looked (and smelled) like they were all she had worn for the last few days, and they probably were. 

Instead, he sighed. “I am. So, as your friend, I’m telling you: take a shower and get dressed, and we’ll get you out of the room for a bit.”

Peridot smiled, the first time Steven had seen that. It was a massive shift. Anger and distrust slowly melted away, replaced with a beaming expression not unlike a kid trying ice cream for the first time.

“Okie-dokie!”


	4. Chapter 4

Getting Peridot out of her room was easy enough. When she re-appeared from the shower, her hair was still a frizzy mess, but she had on clean clothes and a small smile. Lapis had walked them downstairs without a single word, bolting back to her room as soon as she got them past the front desk. Outside, the sun was high without being oppressively hot. A few people milled back and forth, but the campus was fairly quiet. 

“So, what are we doing?”

“I’m not sure,” Steven shrugged. “We’re just starting by getting you some fresh air. When’s the last time you ate?”

Peridot counted on her fingers, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Geez, I had some Pop-Tarts yesterday.”

“Nope, we’re getting you something good.”

“Steven, we’re on a campus, there’s no such thing as ‘good’ food.”

“What are you talking about? The cafeteria is great here.”

She muttered a little bit. “I hadn’t been yet.”

“So how do you know it’s bad?”

“I assumed! Big whoop!” She gave him a look more like what he was used to seeing from her. “If you’re going to keep questioning me, I might as well go back to bed.”

Steven frowned. “Alright, I’m sorry. Let’s go get some food in you.” He had trouble restraining a grin as he wondered if she wasn’t just constantly hangry.

The walk to the cafeteria was fairly quiet, Peridot occasionally making some snide remark under her breath as they passed certain students.

“Peridot, do you know any of them?”

“What did I just say about questions?”

As they walked into the cafeteria, Steven’s eyes widened a little bit. “Okay, let’s do this. I’ve asked you a lot of stuff today. You can ask me anything you want, and then I get to ask you a question back, okay?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Why would I want to know stuff about you?”

“. . . That’s how friends work. You learn about each other and decide you like enough of the same stuff to hang out.”

Peridot looked genuinely surprised at that information. “Okay . . .” They grabbed their food, Steven loading his tray high while she just grabbed some chicken tenders. As they sat, her expression turned pensive. “Well, what’s your favorite color?”

“Pink!”

“Pink.”

“Yeah, it’s a happy color, and it was my mom’s favorite.” Steven’s expression pulled a little at the thought of his mom but he shook his head and smiled at Peridot. “I’ll give you another question since I was asking so many.”

“Well, there really weren’t that many . . .”. She took a bite of her food, thinking. “Hey, this is actually pretty good. Um, what’s your favorite subject?”

“English.”

“Oh.” Peridot flushed a bit. “Your turn.”

“Alright. Did you know any of those students we were passing earlier?”

Peridot chewed her food slowly. “Kind of? I’ve seen them around campus, but I’ve never talked to any of them. They’re all morons anyways.” She held up a hand as Steven opened his mouth. “Yes, I’m aware, retracted.”

Well, it was something. “Have you ever met anyone who wasn’t a moron?”

“Not really.”

Steven actually laughed out loud at that, earning a scowl from Peridot. “Your turn,” he finally managed to get out between giggles.

“Fine! Why are you doing this?”

The laughter died down quickly. “Doing what?”

She flapped her arms, motioning to them both. “This! I literally called you a clod, like, every day in class!”

“I know.”

“I was rude to you and apparently, to the teacher.”

“There’s no apparently,” Steven corrected as he took a sip of his juice.

Peridot sighed, placing her palms down on the table firmly. “My point,” she said through gritted teeth, “is that I am somewhat of a miserable person, as you pointed out. No one in my department likes me. None of my teachers like me. My roommate  _ really _ doesn’t like me. And until yesterday, you didn’t like me either. So why are you being so nice to me? Why are you hanging out with me and being my friend?”

“Because you need one.”

Peridot was about to laugh in his face, but stopped, watching his expression. He wasn’t kidding, wasn’t being light-hearted. It was a statement of fact. When she realized this, she felt a sudden lump in her throat.

“Wow. Thanks.”

“It’s no problem.” He smiled at her, finishing his juice. “Peridot, I don’t think you’re some terrible person, and I am sorry that I called you miserable.”

“Like I said, you’re not wrong.”

“Still. I honestly just think you need some help in your interactions department.”

She scoffed, chewing on a french fry. “That’s an understatement. Did you know you’re the first person I’ve had lunch with my entire time here?”

“Peridot, that’s awful!”

“It’s the truth. This is my first year living on campus. I never bothered to talk to anyone, never bothered doing anything on campus. I’d just do my homework and make all A’s.” She sat up a little straighter, clearly proud of her achievement. She began to sag again as she thought more. “Then suddenly, I’m here all of the time, and I’ve got nothing to hide behind. There’s no distance.” She cleared her throat, that pesky lump threatening to return. When Steven placed his hand on hers, she jumped a little, but didn’t protest.

“You’re gonna be fine, Peridot.”

She nodded, not making eye contact. “Good to hear.”

The next day, Steven and Connie went down to the lake to relax and watch the ducks.

“I can’t believe you found her.” Connie chuckled, still accepting Steven’s story. “And she’s not completely awful, that’s the biggest surprise.”

“She’s still rough around the edges, but yeah, I think she’s going to be better moving forward.”

“That was really cool of you, Steven.”

He blushed a bit at the praise. “Just trying to do the right thing, right? Hey, why don’t you sit with us next class?”

She shook her head a bit. “No way, I can’t sit that far back.”

“Can’t hear Dr. Opal?”

“No, just . . .” She hummed for a few seconds. “It’s nothing huge, my parents just always told me to sit at the front, if I could help it.”

“Oh, right, gotta be a fancy doctor and all that.” Steven chuckled at his own joke, but Connie’s smile seemed rather thin. His own smile slipped a bit. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, you’re not wrong.” Before he could ask what that meant, she grabbed a stick, throwing it like a spear into the water. “I should get back to my dorm, if you want to walk with me.”

“Sure!”

The two chatted idly as they wandered back to Magno Hall, trading thoughts on  _ The Great Gatsby _ .

“I still don’t understand what you mean by Marxist undertones, but Gatsby seems like a cool dude!” Steven bubbled as they walked.

Before too long, Magno Hall’s doors were opening up to let them in. A smile took over Steven’s face as he saw who the front desk worker was.

“Hey Pearl!”

She jumped a little bit at the sudden noise, but smiled politely nonetheless. “Hello Steven! Connie, how are you this afternoon?”

“Pretty good, still have a lot of homework to finish.”

“Don’t we all,” Pearl mused. Her attention turned back to Steven. “By the way, did you get the chance to talk to Peridot?”

“Yup!” He recounted to Pearl their interactions the previous day, earning him a proud smile.

“Very well done. If one of my students showed that kind of conflict resolution, they would have for sure earned a Pearl Point.”

“Ooh! Can I have one?”

“Steven, you’re eighteen.”

“And?”

She let out a breath, smiling softly as she handed him a sticker from behind the desk. “I can’t even say anything, Amethyst loves them too.”

Connie giggled and stuck out her hand, beaming as Pearl handed her a sticker as well.

“Alright, is Steven going up with you?”

“Not today, I’ve got to head back and work on my own homework.”

Pearl smirked. “What a shame. You could have put your skills to use on Connie’s roommate.”

“Wha’?”

Connie sighed. “You’ll meet her eventually. She’s . . . high-strung.”

“That’s the nicest way you’ve put it yet.” Connie shot Pearl, who was now suddenly busy on her computer, a look. She shrugged at Steven and bounced up the stairs, leaving the two of them alone in the lobby.

“Steven, what are you doing this evening?”

He turned to Pearl, his thoughts clearing away. “Probably just math homework, why?”

“Well, the three of us were going to hang out, and Amethyst insisted that you stop by, at least this once.” She looked around conspiratorially before motioning to him to lean in. “There  _ might _ be some alcohol,” she whispered breathlessly.

Steven’s eyes lit up. He wasn’t a stranger to alcohol: Greg was very much in the “small glasses of wine with dinner” category. This was something very different, however. “Where and when?”

“Yi-Luttrell Hall, eight.”

Yi-Luttrell Hall was almost as old as Dietz Hall, but had definitely been taken better care of. Steven couldn’t help but grumble as Garnet guided him past the front desk, manned by an incredibly pale girl with her bleach-blonde hair formed into buns, and to an elevator.

“This building looks exactly like Dietz, but they get an elevator? There’s no justice, Garnet.”

She laughed a little, nodding. “None at all.”

As they beeped up to Garnet’s room, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “By the way, if you don’t want to drink or anything tonight, there’s no pressure. We don’t usually get too drunk. Well, I don’t, at least.” 

“It’s cool. But thank you.” 

She clapped his shoulder, beaming down at him. “Pearl and Amethyst are already up there, so we’ll get started quickly.” 

Garnet lived by herself, and had managed to explode into every corner of her dorm room. Every surface of the wall was covered with tapestries and posters of obscure EDM artists, along with a few framed pictures of a much younger Garnet standing with the same two friends again and again. Apparently, she had gone through a growth spurt at some point, because she was a good head shorter than the girl who stood next to her, who looked very familiar. So did the other girl, as a matter of fact.

Steven gawked a little bit as he put two and two together. “How long have you three known each other?”

“Since kindergarten.” Pearl joined Steven next to the picture, smiling fondly at her younger self. “I’ve got our class picture somewhere; if you remind me later, I can dig that up for you.”

“That’d be fun!”

“God, who wants to see baby Amethyst? I was all pudge.”

“Yes, that’s why you were so cute,” Garnet smirked. She walked towards the three of them, a few red plastic cups in hand. “Drink up, we only get to be stupid so often.”

“Says you. I’m stupid, like, all of the time.” Amethyst pounded her drink back in one go, belching loudly after. “Nice.”

Pearl wrinkled her nose, delicately sipping her cup. “Honestly . . .”

The three women looked over at Steven with varying levels of subtlety, none of them great. With a cocky grin, Steven downed his drink in one go like Amethyst.  _ Eck! _ He ended up coughing, a lot, much to the amusement of the others in the room.

“And that’s why we don’t do what Amethyst does,” Pearl wisely intoned. 

“No arguments here.” Amethyst belched again. “Barkeep, make it two.”

Garnet rolled her eyes. “Call me barkeep again, I’m cutting you off.”

Amethyst grinned and handed her cup back to Garnet, who quickly topped her off with more liquor. “Look at you, Steven. Your first semester, and you’re already a frat bro.”

Steven made a disgusted face as Garnet replaced his drink as well. “I hope not, don’t they brand you?”

“What? Where did you hear that?”

“My dad always told me about this one guy, Marty--”

“Ahh, your old man’s just trying to scare you.” Amethyst sipped her drink, already looking a little flushed. “I mean, I’ve heard those stories too, but it’s definitely not every frat. I don’t think we even have any Greek life at Callison.”

“Thankfully, we don’t.” Pearl took another dainty sip. “It’s already a massive campus, can you imagine if we let those louts in here?”

Garnet nodded in agreement, but was quiet as the other three began to rattle less and less coherently about frats and sororities and what drink was best, what food was best, and on down the line.

“Guys, I’m telling you! She totally looked at me!” Pearl was now slurring her words, leaning into Garnet for support. Steven, his face bright red, simply guffawed as Amethyst made a rude noise.

“Pearl, ain’t no way in hell that Halsey noticed you at a concert! She was just looking at your section.”

“Nooooo, she was looking at me!” Pearl flounced as she said this, spilling some of her drink. Garnet reached out to steady her friend. “And! I think she winked.” She leaned in as she said this, her eyes darting back and forth.

That did it. Amethyst and Steven completely lost it, laughing loud and hard, leaning into each other as they wiped tears from their eyes. Pearl pouted at them, but their laughter was contagious, and soon enough Pearl and Garnet were equally in stitches. After they had all calmed down, Amethyst passed around a near empty bottle of vodka, each of the friends taking a swig. Once it got back to her, she raised it proudly.

“To Steven!” 

“To Steven!” the others echoed, the namesake of the toast blushing fiercely. With the little clarity left, he realized that this had been his official adoption. He had found his own.

Steven ended up shooting a quick email to his professors the next day, apologizing for missing class due to a stomach bug. Lars kindly dropped off a sports drink and some cup noodles, laughing the whole time.

Tuesday, a slightly disheveled Steven made it through his classes, and perked up after a good lunch. As he finished a tuna sandwich, he tapped his fingers nervously. He hadn’t seen Peridot since Saturday. After they had finished lunch, she had cheerfully returned to the Rabara complex, a bit of a gleam in her eye. He had no idea if she would return to class, or how she would return.

When he arrived, the classroom was as full as ever, with Connie sitting front and center. As he passed by her, she gave him a little salute, and the two giggled a little bit.

Steven could feel his chest loosen as he saw that Peridot was sitting in her usual spot, slowly thumbing through  _ The Great Gatsby _ with an intense look on her face. When he dropped his backpack on the floor, she jumped, clearly not aware of anything around her. She shot him a look, but one that was decidedly non-venomous. 

“Hey, Steven. Just trying to get caught up on this stupid book.”

“How do you like it so far?” Steven’s grin was positively saccharine, and Peridot rolled her eyes in a very practiced manner.

“It’s fine. No big deal.”

“How far are you in it?”

“Oh, I finished it last night, I’m just re-reading it to make sure I didn’t miss anything.” She returned her attention to the book, the same focused gaze returning to her face. Steven smiled to himself but stayed quiet, waiting for Dr. Opal.

She appeared right on time; that is, five minutes after class was supposed to start. She seemed to be in a good mood, right until she looked Steven’s way and saw Peridot in her usual seat. The grin on her face became a bit stiffer, but no one would have noticed if they weren’t looking for it.

“Alright, so you should have read the first forty or so pages of  _ The Great Gatsby _ , does anyone have any questions?” A hand in the front row shot up violently. “Yes, Miss Maheswaran, I got your email, I’d be more than willing to discuss more with you after class.” She looked around the room expectantly; like any college classroom, especially after lunch, she was met with a sea of glazed-over eyes, with only a handful of students actually listening. One student close to her was frantically flipping through the book, clearly a little bit behind. Finally, to her limited surprise, a hand rose. When she saw who the hand was attached to, however, she had trouble hiding that surprise.

“Yes, Miss Magnes?” 

“Well, I was going over the second chapter again, and I don’t understand why Nick is so willing to go along with Tom’s adultery. He tells the reader he’s kind of uncomfortable, but then he goes and gets absolutely drunk.” Peridot ended her question with a small crack in her voice, but she held eye contact the whole time.

More than one student had turned to look: wasn’t this the girl who always screamed at people to get out of her way? Dr. Opal had to take a minute to gather her thoughts before she responded. 

Steven heard none of it. He was too happy to notice much of anything at that moment.


	5. Chapter 5

“What’s that in your hand?”

Steven had just returned to the room, and Lars noticed a flier he was holding.

“Oh, it’s an invitation to a party. Buck Dewey was handing them out in the courtyard.”

That sparked Lars’ interest. He nearly fell out of his bed, rushing over and snatching the piece of paper from Steven. “Gimme!” He pored over it for a few seconds, his eyes wide. “Is he still out there?”

“No, but Sour Cream and this girl Jenny were still handing them out, if you want to grab one.”

“No, no, I’ll just--” Lars grabbed his phone and took a picture before throwing the flier back at his roommate-- “There!”

Steven caught it with some floundering. “I’m taking it that you’ll go?”

“Are you kidding? If Buck and his crew are the ones throwing this, it’s going to be the biggest party that Callison has ever seen!” Lars jumped onto his bed, throwing his arms out wide. “Back in high school, Buck’s parties were the stuff of legend!”

Steven was starry-eyed. “What were they like?”

Lars looked down to realize he was standing on his bed and hopped down to the floor, blushing. “Well, I mean, I always heard about them, but I never actually went to one.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay, I’ve never been to a big party before either! We can figure it out.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. It’s not until this weekend though, so don’t bug me about it, got it?” Lars pointed a finger in Steven’s face, his attitude suddenly sharp.

“Whoa. Got it.”

Over the course of the next week, Steven was quick to realize that he wasn’t going to be much of a bother to Lars; it was ending up the other way around.

“Alright, for the party I’m thinking my new purple shirt, with the spider on it, and the glowing skull plugs, what do you think?”

“Well--”

“Wait! I can’t wear purple, it looks too much like my work uniform!”

Steven didn’t bother to look up from his math homework. “So?”

Lars shot a look at the back of Steven’s head that the poor boy could almost feel. “So? So? I’ll be the coffee boy if I look like that, and that’s not cool! Who’s friends with the coffee boy?”

“I don’t suppose me and Sadie count.” Steven said it drolly, but his tone belied how slowly frustrated he was getting.

“I mean, yes, you two count, but you already know me as the coffee boy. I don’t want to introduce myself as the coffee boy!”

“Hey, I could be your sidekick! ‘Donut Lad’!”

Lars rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”

Steven finally turned around, a thin smile on his face. “Well, what about those heart plugs your mom sent you?”

“Ugh, no thanks.” Lars lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. “What about you, what are you gonna wear?”

“What else? Shirt and shorts, it’s still pretty warm.”

“It must be so nice to not have to worry.” Lars sighed, a condescending gust. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.”

“Glad to hear it.”

The party was at Buck’s house, only a mile or so from campus. After much fussing from Lars (“Walk? Who walks to a party?”), the roommates managed to catch a ride with Sadie, who seemed as excited as anyone else. 

“I mean, I know Sour Cream all right, he comes in a lot for coffee, but still! There’s going to be so many new faces there!” Sadie bounced a little as she spoke, while Lars just stared out the window. He had finally decided on the skull plugs, as well as opting for a red bomber jacket, zipped up tight. The closer they got to the party, the more sour he seemed to get. Sadie continued to chat idly, musing about the night ahead, while Lars’ head sank lower and lower, until his chin was tucked down into his chest. As his head continued to dip, he began tapping his fingers on the window, growing more and more aggressive until he was openly rapping his knuckle against the glass, scowling as he did.

Steven paid it no mind. Or rather, he tried very hard not to. As much as he had gotten used to his roommate’s moodiness, he was sure things had thawed a bit over the last few weeks. Now he felt like an intruder again, and it left him feeling uneasy. Sadie finally seemed to recognize the awkward air in the car and stopped talking, but it didn’t matter. They turned around the corner to the sight of a swarm of college students milling about in front of a rather large house. Whatever music was playing inside couldn’t be heard distinctly; instead, they could all feel it thumping in their chest.

The second they saw the house, Lars seemed to completely flip. He went from hunched like a gargoyle to ramrod straight, his grin reaching his ears. 

“I can’t believe I’m finally here!” The car pulled to a stop and Lars nearly launched himself out the window. He bounced on his heels from one foot to the other where he stood, waiting for the other two to exit the vehicle. “Can you believe how big this place is?”

“No.” Sadie gawked openly at the scene. How many people were here? There was a steady stream of students coming and going, ranging from shy freshmen to seniors that were clearly old pros at drinking to excess. Christmas lights hung on every conceivable surface, and glow sticks had been tossed carelessly everywhere. It was early enough in the night that there wasn’t too much trash, although someone had already crushed a plastic cup underfoot by the front door. Inside was friendly chaos as people jostled against each other in the dim light, dancing and talking and making out and sometimes cycling rapidly between all three. On the couch were a few guys passing around what looked like a hand-rolled cigarette but smelled much earthier. The kitchen had been taken over by a three on three beer pong game. Steven cracked into a grin as he saw the team captains: Amethyst and Jenny, shamelessly trash-talking each other, their assigned underlings quickly getting drunk under the table. Blushing couples, as well as a few groups of three and four, rushed upstairs and slowly came back downstairs with sly winks and slurred flirtations. The kitchen led into a living room, where Buck had put on an old VHS of some cartoon, the volume muted to render it a quirky visual. 

This led to the backyard, where the most energy flowed as everyone danced wildly to Sour Cream’s music, the source of the far-reaching bass. The pale musician held a set of headphones up to his ears, bobbing back and forth as he tweaked knobs and pressed buttons, at one point playing an old video game system that had been wired into his computer. The resulting sound was glitchy and crackly, blending well with the growling bassline he had set down. Steven recognized a few familiar faces, but apart from Amethyst, he didn’t see anyone he knew.

“Alright, I’m going to get a drink, what are you two doing?” Lars tried his best to act aloof, but he couldn’t quite bite back the goofy little grin dancing on his face.

“Dancing!” Steven and Sadie yelled in unison, looking at each other and giggling as they did so. Lars rolled his eyes and went back to the kitchen as they pushed their way into the crowd.

Despite still being early in the night, the dance floor was packed, and Steven and Sadie were quickly separated, cut off by a human wall that pushed and pulled around them in beat with the music. Steven quickly realized where all the glow sticks were coming from: as he played, Sour Cream would periodically reach into a massive bucket next to him and throw out a handful of the party favors, much to the crowd’s loud approval. Some daring souls had broken theirs, splattering themselves with the luminescent liquid, but most people were content to wear them on their wrists. Steven found a couple and stuck them into this curly mane, secured immediately in his thick hair. Despite being one of the few sober people there, Steven danced as hard as anyone else, if not with more gusto, even. He soon found himself pulled into one of the many circles that make up a dance floor, a crowd of six or seven that grew and shrank as people like Steven came and left with each song. Sure enough, a bottle of vodka found its way into the group, and Steven found himself drinking for the second night that week. Still, the memory of his hangover was a deterrent, and he slipped out of the crowd with only a buzz. He turned back around to see if there was any sign of Sadie. When he found her, dancing wildly with her own little ring, he laughed and went inside, glad to see her enjoying herself.

She was not the only one. Lars had found his way into someone’s lap, and the two were paying little attention to anyone else. As Steven walked up, the two separated for a quick breath, and the stranger caught Steven’s eye.

“Hey, friend of Lars? Name’s Shep.” They stretched their hand out, shaking Steven’s hand firmly. They wore a purple, black, and yellow crop top, which Steven faintly recognized. They were rather tall, with long black hair tucked into a snapback worn backwards. 

“Yeah, I’m Steven.” He flushed a bit, amused at his roommate’s speed. Lars turned around and saw him and giggled, somehow already quite drunk.

“Steven! Get Sadie, she needs to meet Shep!” He turned back to them, grinning. “You’re gonna love her, she’s the coolest.”

“I don’t know, man, she’s dancing her heart out.” Just as he spoke, the bass dropped, which was followed by a loud whooping sound as the audience cheered. “See?”

“Whatever! Just, if you see her, tell her I’m looking for her.” With that, Lars returned his attention to Shep, and they promptly ignored Steven.

Steven slowly wound his way back outside, making sure to check in on Amethyst’s game, which she had won soundly. Now Jenny was on her team, alongside a girl who looked exactly like Jenny. Their opponents were being mercilessly slaughtered.

“I am the champion!” Amethyst hollered, much to the excitement of the small crowd watching. When she saw Steven, she waved him over excitedly. “Steven! Come be my celebrity?”

“Your what?”

“Dude, just come throw the ball real quick!” She reached over and grabbed him, yanking him to behind the table. “Real simple. Overhand shot, keep your elbow behind the table.” She handed him an orange ping-pong ball, pointing to the three cups on the other side. “Yo, give us a triangle!”

The other team obliged, quickly consolidating their cups into an easier to hit formation. Amethyst clapped her young friend on the back. “Alright, it’s all you!”

Steven squared up, taking a deep breath as he threw the ball. It soared through the air, the slightest wobble from where it had been stepped on earlier in the game. To Amethyst’s delight, it bounced off the first cup and landed in another behind it.

“Travel! Drink up boys!” Amethyst whooped and hollered some more, exchanging plenty of high-fives and hugs with Jenny and her twin, as well as Steven. “Dude, I’m gonna find you later tonight, we need to play together.” She pulled him into another tight hug, giving him a noogie, sending his glow sticks flying.

Finally, Steven was able to extricate himself from the game and wandered back outside, where even more people had gathered to listen to Sour Cream’s music. As he did, the mental image of himself at a party like this struck him as almost absurd. Just yesterday he had been asking Garnet for help with physics; now he was drinking with half of the school and watching his roommate make out with strangers. He began to chuckle to himself; by the time he had bumped into Sadie, he was nearly in tears from laughing so hard.

“You’re in a good mood,” she noted breathlessly. Her hair was sticking in every direction, and she had a good ten glow sticks on each arm. “Where’s Lars?”

Steven burst out in laughter anew, motioning to Sadie to follow him. “He’s-he’s-he’s inside, wi-with Shep!” He stopped for a second, letting the last of the giggles get through him, while Sadie watched, patient and amused. She hadn’t drunk anything yet, and seeing Steven as tipsy as everyone else was a sight to behold for her. Finally, he stopped laughing, and the two went inside, all grins.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, they bumped into Shep, literally. Sadie had turned to tell Steven something and ran directly into their chest, spilling their drink.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Sadie blushed bright red, and only turned redder when Shep started to laugh.

“Hey, no worries, it’s not like there’s no more alcohol here, right?” When they saw Steven, they only smiled wider. “Hey, Steve, right?”

“Yeah, Steven.” To his surprise, Shep pulled him into a quick hug.

“Cool! Oh! So, would that make you Sadie?” They turned back to the short blonde, their grin suddenly flirtatious.

Sadie blushed, no longer from embarrassment. “That’s me, the coffee girl.”

“Yeah, I just got finished with your coffee boy. He’s out front with Buck, actually.” They paused for a second, thinking, before grabbing their phone. “Here, give me your number, I’d love to catch up with both of you when there’s actually daylight.” They handed it to her, winking at Steven as she quickly put in her information. “Awesome! Nice meeting both of you.” With that, they disappeared into the crowd of dancers, leaving Sadie with her mouth wide open.

“Wow,” she muttered. 

“Let’s go find Lars, he’ll be thrilled to see you two met.” Steven felt nearly giddy, and he wormed quickly through the house, Sadie tailing close behind. 

Lars was exactly where Shep said he was, passing a cigarette back and forth with Buck as they sat on the lawn, talking in low voices. As they approached, Buck said something that made Lars laugh, loud and incredibly fake.

“Lars!” Steven’s voice startled the two men, who whirled around to see who was intruding. Buck immediately relaxed as he recognized the pair approaching; Lars stiffened up.

“Hey, it’s the coffee girl and your roommate.” Buck nodded slowly, his low voice as calm as ever. Lars’ eyes widened but he said nothing. “I hope you guys are enjoying the festivities.”

“Yes! Is this your house?” Sadie sat down next to Buck, gushing. Lars made a small groaning noise that only Steven seemed to hear.

“It’s my dad’s, but he’s never around, and since possession is nine-tenths of the law . . .” Buck grinned wickedly. “So, how’s your new employee doing?” He tossed his head in Lars’ direction, who sputtered in indignation.

“Oh, just fine, he only burned the coffee once this week,” she replied, her expression reflecting Buck’s.

“Come on! That dude wanted his coffee, like, two hundred degrees!” Lars whined a bit as he spoke, and Steven reached out to pat his back. To everyone’s surprise, Lars shrugged off his hand, irritated. “Dude, back off.”

Sadie’s brows knitted together in concern. “Whoa, Lars, you okay?”

“I’m fine, just stop making me out to be the coffee boy, okay?”

“I’m not?” Sadie looked over at Steven, confused. “Shep’s the only one who said coffee boy tonight, and that’s because I called myself--”

“You told Shep I was a coffee boy?” Lars stood up, his face red. “Sadie, what the hell?”

“ I didn’t say anything, Lars! I just called myself a coffee girl first. What is with you tonight?”

“Nothing, I’m just out here chilling with Buck when you two decide to bug us.”

“Whoa, Lars, no one’s bugging anyone.” Buck now stood up, his voice now edging from cool to cold. “You’ve had a busy night, man, why don’t you grab a drink and chill out?”

Lars and Sadie stared at each other for a second, before Lars pushed past all of them, grumbling furiously. Sadie stared off where he had been, before slowly walking back to the dance floor, walking around the house to avoid bumping into her co-worker. Buck turned back to Steven.

“You okay?”

Steven was the only one who hadn’t stood up, and he slowly looked up at Buck, suddenly very tired. “I’m okay. I think-- I think I’m going to go home. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Any time, Steven. Drop by once in a while, okay?”

“Buck, we’re literally neighbors at the dorm.”

“That also works out.” 

Steven scoffed, allowing himself a small smile, before turning and beginning the short walk back to campus. As he plodded along, he found himself getting more and more frustrated. Why was Lars such a jerk tonight? Ever since he had heard about the party, he had been high-strung and dismissive, even worse than the first day they had met. Every wall that Steven had thought knocked down had been built back up in five minutes of talking to Buck. It was childish, and he hated it.

The night was dark and moonless, the only light coming from the few streetlights that were still on, though this number was fast shrinking. A wind began to pick up, and Steven began to shiver a bit, the cool air rushing across his bare arms. He had an overshirt in his room, why hadn’t he brought that? He was about halfway back to campus, deep in his thoughts, when a strange hissing sound caught his attention.

He was passing by an alley, tucked between two old commercial buildings, and the sound seemed to be coming from the very end. Steven slowly walked back a few steps, peering into the dark. Where the alley should have given way to the other end, there was a wall, creating a spot of utter darkness. The hissing sound picked up again, this time preceded by a rattling sound. It was very familiar to him, but the darkness, combined with a lack of sleep and sobriety, made it so he couldn’t quite place it. Ignoring the tiny pit of fear in his stomach, Steven slowly began to creep down the alley, curiosity prevailing. As he got closer, he could make out the wall a little better, splotches of color creating a design that was impossible to parse out in the inky night. Someone was crouched in front of it, moving their arm with the hissing noise, and Steven recognized the sound as a can of spray paint being used. He was about to back up, still unseen and unnoticed, when he recognized the graffitist.

“Lapis?”

She dropped the bottle with a clatter, spinning around and shining a flashlight into his eyes, which was met with a yelp. When she recognized him, she dropped the light, still panting, leaving Steven with swirling colors in his vision.

“Shit, dude, why’d you sneak up on me like that? You’re lucky I know your face, I was about to throw the can at you.”

Steven blinked a few times, his eyes still watering. “I just heard the noise and wanted to know what it was.”

“You hear a strange noise in a dark alley in a big city, and your first instinct is to check it out? What kind of survival instinct is that?” She laughed and shook her head. “How’s your eyesight? Sorry for blinding you like that.”

“No, no, I totally understand. Um, it’s pretty good. I can mostly see again.”

“Great! Check this out.” Lapis moved over to where Steven stood, shining her light on the wall she was painting. Steven hadn’t been sure what to expect, but he was not expecting a full mural. She had painted a great white shark, nearly life-size, caught in freeze-frame as it swam away from a fresh kill, blood and scuba gear caught in its mouth. In the corner, drawn more crudely, was a teardrop with wings coming out of it.

Steven immediately pointed to it. “What’s that?”

“That’s my signature. It’s how people know that the Water Witch was here.”

“The who?”

Lapis sighed, rolling her eyes. “The Water Witch. I’ve been painting in this area for a while now, and it’s the name I picked up. Not that I’m complaining, that’s a fucking crazy nickname.” Lapis walked back over to the mural, touching up one of the shark’s fins. “Which, no one knows that that’s me, so I’d appreciate you staying quiet so I don’t end up in jail.”

“Yeah, no worries.” Steven walked back over with her, watching her paint.

“So, why are you walking around at this hour? I didn’t peg you for the graffiti type.”

“No, I just left Buck’s party.”

“Oh man, that was tonight? I went last year, that stuff is crazy. Not really my scene, though. How was it?”

Steven made a huffing noise. “It was fine until I left. My roommate’s been a real butt for the last few weeks, and he only got worse tonight.”

“Ha! Yeah, nothing worse than a bad roommate, believe me. Which, I never got to thank you for that. Now she’s actually leaving the room once in a while!”

“That’s awesome, is she nicer to you at all?”

“I don’t know, I don’t talk to her.” Lapis made a scoffing sound, then resumed work on the mural. After a few minutes, she stepped back. “Yeah, that’s pretty much done. Wanna walk back to campus together?”

“Sure. But why don’t you talk to her?”

She made another scoffing sound, far more enunciated, as she swept her equipment into a ratty backpack. “Well, she’s still a royal pain in the ass. Yeah, she’s calmed down a bit, but, you know, she’s just . . .” Lapis trailed off, eventually shrugging her shoulders. “Yeah, that. She was a pretty big fucker up until you talked to her, I’m not about to back off after a week of good behavior.”

Steven frowned as they began to walk back. Her logic made sense; hadn’t he nearly given up on Peridot as hopeless himself? “Still,” he muttered more to himself than her, “doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?”

Lapis heard his comment and made a raspberry noise. “Hardly. It’s sweet to see someone still hold onto that thought. Do you draw or anything like that?”

“Not really, but I used to play ukulele a lot.”

“No shit? Well, if you ever want to just kick back with some art, I’d be down to hang out, you seem like a neat kid.” She clicked her tongue at him, making a gun with her thumb and pointer finger. “Maybe you’re a prodigy and we don’t know it yet.”

Steven nodded, thinking already on whether his dad could drive it up for him. It had been sitting in storage for a few years now, but it was never too late to pick it up again. “Is college just adopting new friends?”

“Freshman year, yeah, the next three years is you just getting rid of them.”

Before Steven could respond to that cheerful entreaty, they wound up in front of Paz Hall, where Lapis sloppily wrote her number on his arm with a sharpie. From there, it was back to Dietz Hall. As he walked, he couldn’t help but stew over Lars. Was Lapis right? Was he just a jerk? Well, he had been pretty harsh towards Steven when they first moved in together. But, he had also brought Steven sustenance during his first hangover. But, he had laughed at him.

Steven let out a puzzled groan as he entered his building, which was immediately noticed by Blue.

“Oh! Steven! How’s your night going?” She smiled at him, and her voice expressed something approaching emotion. Steven wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Hey, Blue. It was . . . not great. I hope yours is going better.”

“Well, I’m stuck here until nine, so.” She shrugged, smiling, but the three bottles of cold brew next to her were hard to miss. “At least I get the next three days off. Where have you been off to so late?”

“I went to Buck’s party with my roommate, but he ended up being a jerk.”

“Buck?”

“Lars.”

Blue made a face. “I’m sorry to hear that. He’s been in such a good mood lately too, whenever I drop by the café. Is he okay?”

“I think so, he’s been off ever since we got invited.”

“Ooh, that sounds like my big sister. She would get so anxious before any social event that she would bite our heads off if we even looked at her funny.”

A light sparked to life in Steven’s head. Suddenly, so much of Lars made sense. “Thanks, Blue.”

“Any time. Thanks for coming by to chat. It’s nice to have conversation sometimes.” She looked proud of herself, and Steven stuck out his hand for their second handshake, which she returned with much more gusto than the first. He waved goodbye and started the slog up the stairs, eager to get to bed. Any lingering anger at Lars had dissipated; they still needed to talk, in his mind, but the crux of the issue had suddenly shifted in a crucial way.

As he slipped under the covers, he checked his phone, noting that it was barely one in the morning. With little more thought on the matter, he fell sound asleep.

All too soon, he was woken up by the sound of something falling, followed by a string of hushed expletives. Steven sat upright immediately, turning on the light to reveal a very embarrassed Lars, who had apparently fallen to the ground while taking off his boots.

“You’ve got to stop waking me up this early, man, it’s bad karma,” Steven sleepily joked.

Lars flipped him off. “Whatever, just go back to sleep, sorry for waking you up.” He threw back his covers violently, getting into bed in his clothes.

“How was the rest of the party?” Steven tried to ask it innocently, but his tone was more befitting slumber party gossip.

Lars stayed quiet for a few moments. “After you left, which was kinda uncool to do without telling us, by the way, Sadie ran into Shep, so now both of them are angry at me. So that’s awesome.”

“You did yell at her.”

Lars made an ugly sound in the back of his throat. “Whatever. Glad I could count on you to be sympathetic.” He closed his eyes to go to sleep, only to hear the padding of feet marching over to where he was. He screwed his eyes tighter. “What are you doing?”

“Let’s talk. Ever since the invitation arrived, you’ve been acting like a jerk.”

“What--”

“And if you’re anxious, that’s fine, but don’t take it out on your friends.” Steven was now standing at the foot of Lars’ bed, hands on his hips like a mother. Lars wasn’t sure if he should laugh in his face or throw a pillow. He opted for neither, however, as Steven’s words caught up with him. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed.

He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck slowly. “I think I told you I knew these guys back in high school, right?”

“Only once or twice.” Steven sat at the foot of his bed now.

“Well, back in high school I was a major dweeb. I was this dumb emo kid, and when I saw that the coolest kids of high school were throwing a party, I got scared that that would be all they remember. It sounds pretty bad saying it out loud, I know I shouldn’t care about high school anymore, just . . .” Lars sighed, dropping his gaze. “Who wants to be the person they were back then?”

“Lars, just be yourself. You’re honestly a really cool guy, even with the snark. Just don’t be a jerk.”

Lars nodded. “I feel like I acted like a little kid.”

Steven wisely said nothing.

“Tomorrow I’ll apologize to Sadie and Shep, okay?” 

Steven shrugged, but was smiling. “That’s between you and them. Sorry for scolding you as soon as you came back. I’m apparently good at that.”

“Nah, I deserved it. Seriously though, turn off that light, I’m exhausted.”

Steven stood up, turning off the light and shuffling back to bed. Within seconds, both boys were snoring loudly, drained by the day behind them.

The next day, Steven woke up to an empty room and a message on his phone from Lars. When he opened it, it was a selfie of Lars, Sadie, and Shep, all in the corner booth of a restaurant somewhere. Steven smiled and put his phone back, eager to grab a few extra winks of sleep.

He was getting good at this fixing stuff. It felt good. Really good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm still alive! Wow, this story is still alive!


End file.
